Unconditional Forgiveness Yields Unlimited Creativity
2 Samuel 13:1-33 – Part IV
In the end, Absalom’s fate equals that of Amnon. Absalom dies spiritually before he dies physically. Similar to his unfortunate plight, many people in the body of Christ experience the same fate. Their refusal to forgive people slowly and surely drains life out of them. They cease the daily practice of spiritual disciplines. They become obsessed with wanting God to defend and vindicate them. They constantly look back to the hurtful experience. The bitterness that pervades their minds and the strife that captures their hearts reduces them to a pillar of salt that has lost its savor.
In contrast, were they, in gratitude for God’s grace, to forgive liberally as well as unconditionally, they become “channels of God’s peace” in the poetic characterization of St. Francis of Assisi
There are innumerable practical benefits to total forgiveness which equates with hitting the delete button on a corrupted computer file. It is necessary to delete the file and send it to the recycle bin. It is then necessary to empty that bin thereby forever erasing the affects of emotional strangleholds. Find the joy to return to your child-like faith in which you truly believe that anything is possible with God. This exquisite joy emerges for disciples whose souls sing freely and openly to the honor and glory of Almighty God. In gratitude for the forgiveness which they receive in Christ, they willingly share the Lord’s love and mercy with others. The new found freedom that categorical forgiveness yields develops into unrestricted imagination.
I conclude with an autobiographical illustration. As the sixth of seven children who were abandoned by both parents, I was reared by my paternal grandparents who were very godly people. They took my siblings and me in November of 1967 when they were in their early sixties and looking forward to retirement. Plus, they had recently taken in two of my cousins. Nonetheless, for many years I thought of my parents as fugitives who had gotten way. I deeply desired that they would feel some of the pain and disappointment that I felt for being picked upon for wearing cheap sneakers, hand-me-down clothes, and raggedly coats in the winter time. I wanted them to feel the same embarrassment that I felt when I watched other kids in the neighborhood come home with new school clothes. Needless to say, I could recite endlessly such memories. Today, however, none of that matters because Almighty God has given me the grace to extend unqualified forgiveness in gratitude for the forgiveness that He freely gave me in Jesus Christ. On Mothers’ Day of this year, I wrote my mother a letter offering my love and human forgiveness of which I am very aware she is not in need. Also, I enclosed a gift from my wife, our children and me. I recalled how I had written her the most hurtful letter that I could write when I was in college. I told her that I hope that this one could replace that one. I hope that it could be as if I had not written the first one. That deed already has paid incalculable spiritual dividends as new doors and windows of creativity have opened for me as I have been freed from decades of carrying milestones of unforgiveness. I pray to the Lord Almighty for an equal chance to reestablish a relationship with my father. Additionally, I contemplate the freedom that I have enjoyed as I have let go of the battles with a previous pastorate and my pursuit of a doctoral degree. The former opened the door to my next divine assignment in which I assist in leading people to the Lord Jesus Christ and building the kingdom of Almighty God. The latter will enable me to study the passion of my heart.
Unconditional forgiveness yields unlimited creativity.
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